Although temperatures in other states did not quite reach the same levels as those faced in the south, Rico the dog decided to take a traditional approach to beating the heat in Macksville, New South Wales.

Hilary Wilson from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said the temperature in Adelaide peaked in the late afternoon on Thursday, and a wind change was expected to reach Adelaide about midnight.

Ms Wilson said little rain was expected with the change, but a maximum of 31C was forecast for Friday.

In Victoria, BOM meteorologist Richard Russell said there would be "incredibly high minimum temperatures on Thursday night … in Melbourne we expect the minimum temperature to only get down to 29C, much of the state will barely dip below 30C during that period".